Robot vehicle



Jim '15, 1943.

W. S. TANDLER AL ROBOT VEHICLE Filed Sept. 7, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I Lu W June 15, 1943. w. s. TANDLER ETAL 2,321,874

' ROBOT VEHICLE Filed Sept. 7, 1940 v s Sheets-Sheet 2 Flq 3 sa n 51 Zia 4M 40:

' a 42 34% 6 49.4 45-! my V415 s G 44 e be I 4% in u" INVENTOR WILLIAM S-TANDLER PAUL M-MAZUR.

BY 3 v 5 ATTOkl lEY June 15, 1943. w. s.-TANDLER ETAL 2,321,874

- ROBOT VEHICLE FiledSept. 7, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR HiLLiAM S-TZNDLER PAUL M- MAZUR BY ATTORNEY Patented June 15, 1943 ROBOT VEHICLE William S. Tandler and Paul M. Manor, New York, N. Y., assignon. to Industrial Scientific Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 7, 1940, Serial No. 355,750

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to dirigible vehicles and embodies, more specifically, a dirlgible vehicle wherein means is incorporated to operthe same automatically.

More particularly, the invention relates to autcmatically operated diriglble vehicles wherein the operating mechanism effects a predetermined sequence or course of operation without the necessity of manual supervision during such operation.

We are aware that mechanisms have heretoiore been provided to efiect the automatic operation of vehicles, particularly automatic operation wherein the vehicle is remotely controlled. The present invention, however, embodies an improved operating mechanism and control thereior by means of which a vehicle may be operated completely automatically over a predetermined course or through a predetermined sequence oi operations, and wherein means is incorporated to insure the accurate discharge of each operation hy the vehicle regardless of exterior forces that may be exerted thereon to tend to vary the predetermined operation.

an object of the invention, accordingly, is to provide a dlrigible vehicle wherein means is incorporates to effect the operation there-oi automatically and over predetermined course or seouence of operations.

A turther object or the invention is to provide a vehicle of the alcove character wherein the aforesaid operating mechanism is characterised by an ability to direct the sequence of operations regardless of the existence of external forces that tend to divert the course of operations from the v predetermined one.

A tuft-her object oi the invention is to provide a vehicle of the shove character wherein the on crating mechanism is constructed in such fashion that the size, weight, cost, stability and other characteristics are greatly improved over similar vehicles now available.

The foregoing oicjects and advantages, as well A maintain the vehicle on a desired course. The resulting mechanism accomplishes a direct operation rather than a hunting, waving or variable operation that is characteristic of controls utilizins forces in opposition. v

The more perfect attainment of the invention is accomplished y utilizing, in combination with the above control mechanism, a supervisory or pilot mechanism in the form of a compass, the indexing of which may be varied in accordance with a predetermined sequence of operations eiiectlng the course oi the vehicle, thus avoiding the disturbing eflect oi external forces that may be exerted upon the vemcle from time to time.

in the herein contained description of the invention, it will he described in connection with its application to armored tanks, although it will be readily apparent that the invention will be applicable to other installations which need not he described specifically herein.

l'he many advantages accruing from the use or the present invention need not be enumerated herein as they will be readily apparent to those familiar with this particular art. accordingly, this invention will now he described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view oi a dirinible vehicle constructed to be used in connection with the accompanying invention,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation, showing the elements oi the device shown in Fig.1.

Fla. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a control mocha constructed in accordance with the present invention.

i is a diagrammatic illustration of a supervisory or pilot mechanism to be used with the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 and to assure a desired sequence of operations.

Helen-ring to Figs. l and 2, a tank-is illustrated at it and is provided with two endless tracks ii, supported by rear-driving wheels it and lorward idler wheels it. The bottom courses of the tracks are sustained by suspension wheels it that are urged into a normal position by means of a spring suspension box if. The top courses of the tracks are supported by idler rollers It, all in accordance with standard practice.- The tracks it may entend substantially the entire width oi the vehicle as shown particularly in Fig. 1, and may be provided with inwardly projecting rods i to which further support the vehicle and permit it to travel over substantially any type of obstacle. Inasmuch as there are no occupants of the tank. ob-

servation superstructure may be omitted entirely and the size of the tank decreased to minimum in width, length and height.

The driving wheels 12 are driven by means of an engine ll through a diflerential gear mechanism Ill and right and left steering clutches or brakes l9 and 2d, respectively. The battery may be mounted as shown at 2i and the gas tank at it, a starting ignition and accelerator device being shown at it, all in accordance with standard practice. Explosives or other instrumentalities may be mounted at the forward end of the tank as indicated at it, a fuse box or other element iii being provided as necessary. The top armor mi and bottom armor Zl may be designed and provided in accordance with the requirements of service but, it is to be observed, the weight of this armor is considerably less than that ordinarily required.

Since there are no human occupants of the tank, it is constructed to be watertight and provided with a tower 2% through which both intake and exhaust gases pass. In this fashion, the tank can go through water up to the depth of the tower.

In order that the tank may be effectively controlled, a control mechanism is is mounted in a well protected part of the tank and will now be described in greater detail.

Referring to Fig. 3, a clmk or odometer or other suitable power supply mechanism is shown at 30, driving a shaft iii and gear 32. Gear 32 drives a gear 33, mounted-upon a shaft it and carrying a drum 35.

Gear 32 also drives a gear 36 mounted upon a shaft 31, formed with a screw thread 38. Upon the threaded shaft 31, a nut 39 is received, the nut being elongated and carrying a plurality of photoelectric cells such-as cells 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d and 40s. The nut 39 is mounted so that it can partake only of axial movement with respect to shaft 31 and thus, upon rotation of the shaft 31, the nut advances in the appropriate direction along the shaft.

Upon the drum 35, segments 4m, 4"), He, 11 and He are formed, each segment being formed with indicia 42 arranged in spiral formation and preferably with a pitch equal to the pitch of the thread 38. The indicia is formed to actuate the respective photoelectric cells mounted on the .nut 39 and preferably takes the form of light reflecting and non-reflecting portions of such length and spacing that the respective photoelectric cells will be energized in a desired fashion.

The respective photoelectric cells 40a, 40b, 40c. 40d and 40e are connected to amplifiers 43a, 43b, 43c, 43d and 43e by means of wires 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, and 44e, respectively, and by means of wires 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d, and 45e to the respective relays 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d and 48e.

The amplifying mechanism and circuits actuated by the respective photoelectric cells may follow any of the many mechanisms now available for such purpose and the specific construction thereof forms no part of the present invention. Similarly, the relays 46a, 45b, 46c, 46d and 46a are of standard construction and require no further description herein.

The relay 460 is connected by means of a wire 410 to a solenoid 480, for the purpose of controlling, for example, the main engine clutch 49 for connecting or disconnecting the engine I] from the differential mechanism I8. A wire 41d is provided to connect the relay 46d to a solenoid v83 by means of a lead 9|.

coil Md which may control fuses or other instrumentalities 5%. Likewise, a wire ile connects the relay the to a solenoid coil Me to operate the engine accelerator 2i, hereinabove referred to.

In order that the course of the tank may be controlled eflectively, the relays ite, and ll'tb are connected by means of wires Ma and ill!) to solenoids ill and lit, respectively. Solenoid bi controls a valve at while solenoid 52 controls a valve As will be observed in Fig. l, the valves iii and lit control the flow of a fiuid into a cylinder W. A piston bill is movable in the cylinder and is adapted to be moved in either direction by the admission of fluid through the respective pipes til and W. Discharge pipes 59 and lit are provided at the respective valves lit and at so that the fluid trapped on either side of the piston may be released to permit proper operation of the piston. In this connection, the valves bill and M are normally held in position to permit the discharge of fluid from the cylinder at but, when actuated, serve to shut ofl such discharge and connect the respective pipes 57 and ill with a source of fluid under pressure, contained in a reservoir ii i. This fluid is applied to the respective valves 53 and M by means of a pipe iii. and branch pipes 63 and lit, respectively.

The fluid pressure within the reservoir ti is controlled by means of a pressure responsive mechanism 65 connected by means of wires 66 with a control switch 61 that operates a motor Eli and pump 69. The pump til, through a connection ill, maintain a predetermined desired pressure within the reservoir iii in a manner which will be readily understood. A source of electricity H is provided for the control mechanism including the elements 65, 66 and 61, as well as for providing current for driving the motor 68. The piston 56 is connected to a rack 12 that drives a pinion 13, mounted upon a shaft M. The rack 12 and shaft M are carried upon a frame I5 above a gyro compass 16. The gyro compass operates a card 11 carrying a brush contact 18 that engages the periphery of a disc 19 that is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 14. Theperiphery of the disc 19 is formed with two symmetrical contact surfaces and ill, separated by non-conducting segments 82. The brush contact 18 is connected to a battery or other source of electricity 83 by means of a wire 84 and the conducting segment 80 is connected,

by means of a wire 85," to a solenoid 8B. This solenoid 86 operates the right brake l9 of the tank through any suitable control mechanism such as a pneumatic valve 81. Th solenoid 86 is connected to the battery 83 by means'of a.

lead 88. In like manner, the segment 8l'is connected to a solenoid 89 by means of a wire 94 and the solenoid 89 is connected to the battery The solenoid 89 is adapted to actuate the left brake 20 through a suitable mechanism 92 in a fashion similar to tllsiat described in connection with the right brake From the foregoing, it will be observed that, if the vehicle should deviate from a course in a given direction, the brush 18 will move off of the non-conducting segment 82 and engage either of the segments 80 or 8|. This will energize either of the respective solenoids 89 or 88 to actuate the respective left or right brakes [9 or 20 to bring the vehicle back to its proper course.

Since the indexing of the non-conducting segment 82 can ,be efl'ected by turning the disc 19 by means of the shaft i4 and pinion 13, the vehicle can be caused to follow any desired course as predetermined by the indicia on the drum 35. For example, energization of the photoelectric cell lilo by the drum. segment Ala and indicia thereon causes the valve 53 to be actuated to introduce fluid into the right hand end of the cylinder 55. This causes the piston 56 to be moved to the left as viewed in Fig. 4 to rotate the shaft it and the disc it and to cause the segment it to be moved to the right as viewed in Fig. 4. This causes the energization of the right bralre it! to cause the vehicle to be turned to the right. The degree of turn thus depends upon the extent of movement of the piston which, in turn, is dependent upon the length of time that the valve 53 is maintained open and, accorly, upon the length 01 time that the photoelectric cell tllla is energized. A similar operation results from energization of the photoelectric cell ltb and need not be described specidcally in view of the foregoing.

lie in the preferred embodiment of the invention, as described above, the gyro compass is used to control the direction of movement of the tanlr, it is possible to omit the cylinder 55, piston 59, valves 53 and 54, the gyrocompass 16 and associated contacts and connect the wires "a and Nb directly to the brake control solenoids 86 and "39, thus making the brakes lSand 2t directly responsive to chart, the amount of turning of the tank being directly proportional to the length of markings on the chart.

e the invention has been described particularly with respect to one form of vehicle, it will be understood that it is equally applicable to other types of vehicles and therefore the form of the invention disclosed should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Control means for a vehicle having a plurality of operating elements comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of the said electro-responsive means, a photoelectric device for controlling each of the said circuits, separate indicia means to control each of the said photoelectric devices, a compass, and means actuated by the compass to control said circuits.

2. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the vehicle either to the right or left, compris separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of the said electro-responsive means, photoelectric devices for controlling the respective circuits, a compass, means actuated by the compass to control said circuits.

3. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course or the vehicle either to the right or left, comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of the said electro-responsive means, conducting segments in each oi said circuits spaced by a non-conducting sent, a contact common to each circuit and adapted to engage normally said non-conducting segment and, upon movement with respect thereto in either direction to engage the respective conducting segments, photoelectric devices for controlling the respective circuits, a compass having a movable direction indicating element, and means to mount the contact on the last named movable element.

4. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the vehicle either to the right or left. comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of said electro-responsive means, relatively movable contools in the said circuits, a compass to control the relative positions of the contacts, and photoelectric mechanism for controlling the relative positions of the contacts.

5. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the vehicle either to the right or left, comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of said electro-responsive means, relatively movable contacts in the said circuits, a compass for moving one of the said contacts in response to change of direction; of said vehicle, and photoelectric mechanism for moving the other of the said contacts.

6. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the vehicle either to the right or left, comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of said.

electro-responsive means, relatively movable contacts in the said circuits, a compass for moving one of the said contacts in response to change of direction of said vehicle, an element movable in opposite directions for moving the other of the said contacts, separate means to actuate the movable element, photoelectric devices for the respective separate means, and circuits energized by the last named devices for controlling the said separate means.

7. Control means for a vehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the vehicle either to the right or left, comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of said electro-responsive means, relatively movable contacts in the said circuits, a compass for moving one of the said contacts in response to change of direction of said vehicle,a fluid operated element movable in opposite directions for moving the other of the saidcontacts, a source of fiuid pressure,electro-responsive means to direct fluid pressure from said source selectively in opposite directions to actuate the fluid operated element, photoelectric devices .for actuating the electroresponsive means, and circuits energized by the last named devices for controlling the said electro-respon'sive means. 1

8. Control means for avehicle having operating elements adapted to change the course of the .vehicle either to the right or left, comprising separate electro-responsive means for actuating the respective elements, a circuit for each of said electro-responsive means, relatively movable contacts in the said circuits, a compass for movme one of the said contacts in response to change of direction of said vehicle, a fluid operated element movable in opposite direction for moving the other of the said contacts. a source of fluid 

